This invention relates generally to the accumulation of consumer response information and more particularly to the presentation of selected information to viewers of targeted television programming and the accumulation of responses from those viewers.
Conventional market research has involved subjecting selected groups of consumers to particular promotional material and observing their responses. There have, however, been difficulties peculiar to the exposing of the selected group to particular promotional material as well as problems peculiar to measuring their responses. A particular problem is that the method of exposure of the selected group to the promotional material or the collection of the responses may skew the results; that is, the testing itself may influence the results independently of the material being tested. More particularly, in respect to the dissemination of television advertisements, if the panelists know they are receiving special promotional material, they may react differently than were they to believe they are receiving normal promotional material. Further, the participating panelists must be divided into a control group and a test group receiving alternative material, and it is important that these groups be split so that the control and test groups are matched on relevant statistics.
In respect to television advertising, one approach has been to use cable television with a split cable as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,731, issued Jan. 30, 1968 to Edward Wallerstein for Television Distribution System Permitting Program Substitution for Selected Viewers. In such a split cable system two cables originating from a single transmitting source go out in different directions. One advertisement is inserted on one cable and another advertisement on another cable. A problem that has developed with this is that the split of the cable produces control and test groups that are not properly matched for market testing. This is, the two cables are directed to different neighborhoods at the whim of the cable television company, whereas the needs of market research are more particular. It has been known to provide two cables side by side, so that both cables serve the same neighborhoods and are, therefore, likely to provide a better match of control groups to test groups. However, even here there is a problem that once the cables are laid the cables themselves select the groups; that is the television viewers are either on cable A or on cable B and do not admit of special selection to meet the needs of a particular market test.
Another television market research system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,973 issued May 25, 1982 to Eskin et al. With the Eskin et al. system, a substantially identical spectrum of television channels is provided to all potential viewers. Some channels of the spectrum are used to convey possible substitute signals which are not accessible to most viewers. The panelists of the system are given uniquely addressable panelist receiving stations. When panelists are to receive substitute signals, the unique addresses of their respective receiving stations are sent out to control the receiving stations to tune to the substitute signals in place of the normal signals that others will watch.
The Eskin et al. system allows a different combination of panelists to be selected for each program substitution and has provided valuable marketing information. The system, however, requires great expense in providing and maintaining sophisticated receiving stations in each panelist household. Also, panelists at times resist the requirement for such receiving stations in addition to their VCRs and cable television distribution and decoder boxes which already connect to their televisions.
A need exists for a market research signal substitution system which accurately represents the demographics of the community being served and which avoids the problems, costs and user resistance of an individually addressed arrangement.